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US prepares to slash military budget

Ben Knight
Tue Feb 25 14:02:00 EST 2014

The US military could be reduced to its smallest size since before World War II, if a new budget is approved by Congress. The Pentagon is preparing to slash the country's military budget, with cuts to soldiers' pay and benefits, and plans to scrap entire fleets of aircraft.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: The US military could be reduced to its smallest size since the country emerged as the world's superpower if a new budget is approved by the Congress.

The Pentagon is preparing to slash wages and benefits for its soldiers as well as scrap entire fleets of aircraft, as North America correspondent Ben Knight reports.

BEN KNIGHT: First of all, some context:

Even if these cuts do go ahead, the US will still spend more on its military than the next top 10 countries combined - and that includes China and Russia.

It will still be by far the most powerful, and technologically advanced military force in the world, which is good news for US allies, like Australia.

But a combination of the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the self-imposed budget crises in the United States like the fiscal cliff and sequestration, mean that the once untouchable American military, just like every other government department, has got to cut costs.

US defence secretary Chuck Hagel delivered the news.

CHUCK HAGEL: We are entering an era where American dominance on the seas, in the skies and in space can no longer be taken for granted. Given these realities, we must now adapt, innovate and make difficult decisions to ensure our military remains ready and capably.

BEN KNIGHT: The cuts go across the board form the Marines to the US Army Reserve.

Troop numbers will be reduced, from a current level of over 520,000, to more like 450,000.

Military bases will be closed. The US Navy will cut the number of amphibious ships it had planned to buy, and will pull out of service half of its cruisers. The Army will have its helicopter fleet cut back, an entire ground combat vehicle program will be terminated.

In order to keep other programs going, like the Joint Strike Fighter, which Australia has of course signed up to buy, the Air Force will be scrapping some of its other planes like its entire U2 spy plane fleet, and its A10 Warthog jet fighters.

They'll be replaced by more drones and other precision weapons.

But the most controversial changes are likely to be to the future pay and benefits of the troops themselves - both serving and retired. Pay rises will be slowed down. Housing allowances will be cut back - and serving and veteran troops will have to pay more in medical costs out of their own pocket.

Even the Army commissaries where troops get access to subsidised goods, from snacks to televisions - will be cut back.

CHUCK HAGEL: The savings will enable us to sustain a well trained, ready, agile, motivated and technologically superior force.

BEN KNIGHT: This budget was written to come in line with the spending limits that have been imposed by the US Congress. This budget will now go back to the Congress, which has the chance to alter it. And it's highly likely that the Congress will.

It's hard to think of a US politician who wants to be seen voting to cut back soldiers' pay, or veterans' benefits - let alone those who have military bases or arms factories in their districts which face closure.

On top of all that, the Pentagon's warning that if the Congress doesn't end the budget sequester that's slashed government budgets across every department, the US military will face even bigger cuts come 2016 - things like scrapping an entire aircraft carrier unit and a possible reduction in troops to 420,000.

And that, says General Martin Dempsey, is not something the joint chiefs of staff can live with.

MARTIN DEMPSEY: It really begins to limit in some significant way that which is available to deploy and to combat.

So I'm telling you, 420 (thousand) is too low.

BEN KNIGHT: This is Ben Knight in Washington, reporting for The World Today.